Method and apparatus for mining double or parted seams



July 25, 1933. E. RAMSAY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MINING DOUBLE OR PARTED SEAMS Filed June 26, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR EMEME NNW WQI M M5 M5 WSW i Erkne Ramsay HNEWQZH M HHMSMEM QFMEME us E K E W E 9 FE k L TMEMEM:MEM:WITMEMEMEME ATTORNEYS E. RAMSAY July 25, 1933.

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WEWQI EM WEW$WEWEWEW$mzwwimimimzmi N wm I ER SKINE ,RAMsAY; F, BIRMIN HAM, ALABAMA i 1 mirnonarin AePARarUs roze MINING norieLE' .o1t remnn a H Application filed 'June26,

My invention relates to an improved method of and apparatus for;niining and partlc ularly, though notexclusi'v'ely, for the mining of coal seams, wherein by, reason of the presence "of middleman or 'slate parting formed between relatively thick or thin seams of coal, a condition heretofore regarded as commercially] unworkable has resulted be- (fo cause the coal seams above and/or below the due'tothe large amount of rock to be handled composing the. middleman, rendering the seam unworkable by present methods.-

- 'Myinvention contemplates an improved method for mining such seams'which will be commercially practical and economical, and

"to this end I propose to conduct the coal mining operations :of both coal seams with the i350 middleman not molested? or handled but left in position and to support'the roof by two superimposed tiers of timbers or supports which are maintained in vertical transverse alignment one tier above and'the other below the middleman. By this arrangement "the middleman is left interposed as a fillerin between the-upper and lower sets of props or timbers and is supported bythem for some distance back from the face bUtIlS permitted 73b to fall with the roof behind the timbers as and when they are set forward togetherin following the advancing face of' both upper and lower coal seams.

A further distinctive feature of'imy ming ing'method-is the utilization of a continuous conveyor with its upper flight traveling along over the middleman adjacent to and parallel to the upper'face being minedand its lower flight traveling in thesame relationto the '40 lowerface along but in reverse direction "on the floor of the min -thereby providing only a single conveying flight operating at each level and in opposite directions which permits the contemporaneous loading of cars in different entries from both seams by one conveyor. V a

invention also; contemplates adapting the single conveyor to be kept close to the faces being mined so it receives the coal as it 5 falls by gravity onto the conveyor and loads middleman could not be' profitably worked,

minerals where conditionsin'dicating its use particularlyinAlabama where we have an able todayin many casesby reason of the would gladly the seams to be-worked may-formpa-rts of 11931.1 Serial a 54am M l,

the coal, as mined directlyinto the mine cars at opposite ends of the'face being worked.

My invention also has the advantageof enabling. the material mined in the two seams v to be keptseparate" and loaded into different 55 v conveying or haulage means. This isespecial- 1y important "when the coal in one seam is better than, or suitable for a different use from, that in the other-seam;

" Suitable'means for carryingfjmy improved met hod into efi'e ct is illustrated in the'accompanying drawingswhicliforma partof this specification, and in which'-:' i 2- Fig." 1 shows a vertical cross sectional view of a mine working, takenin averticaI plane normal to theworking faces; and v .Figl2 is a crosslsectional View taken, along the line II.II ofjFig. 1. r

Similar reference numeralsfrefertosimilar parts throughout the drawings.--

70. e I have chosen to illustrate myinvention asl applied to the minin fpf j l ib it'wiu i readily understoodgby those. skilled in the I art that it may-be adaptedtoi mining other exlst. a,

. In the drawings I'have'shown' condition which is often-encountered 1n coal mines,

supper coal seam-5 divided from alower coal seam 6 by a middleman orf'interposed'rock or slateparting 7 of such thicknessthat-if it be shot down" with the coal as is present (lav practice it renders the mining unprofitamount of rock orsl'atethat itintroduces into the coal and that must be picked out and loaded in cars and-sent out or thrown back in the gob by the miners. Such conditions are often found to prevail where the coal is of very high grade and themine operators mine the thin seams such as 5 and 6 if a practical method of mining could be devised whichwouldeliminate the handlingof the rock in the middleman and avoid shooting it'do-Wnwiththe coaL, v

' I haveconceived that .this can be done in the followingma'nner, it being understood that elaszs";

i the. coal at;.-each'l evel, the drawings 1llusone seamor they may be different seams and of diiferentminerals.

I I propose to leave the middleman in position during the mining operation and to this set of props or timbers end I provide a lower 8 that are interposed-between the mine floor Sland the under face of the middleman 7, and supported above and in transverse alignment with these props 81 provide an upper set of props or timbers 10 preferably set exactly I theyare illustrated herein merely to serve as 1 a conventional showing for a suitable mine timbering that will carry the imposed load g and protect the men and machinery atthe faces. 1 r

I show conventional machinery for mining mang compressed air pick or drill 12 which the miner. will manipulate. so as to breakdown the coal and causeit to'fall upon the adi acent conveyor section. Each conveyor section; comprises al'base plated?) adapted to be advanced with its forwardedge close to the face and with its rear edge 14 'upturned to prevent thecoal falling behind it and asa protection to the miner and enabling him also to stand nearer the face. Over these: plates works an endless convey oncomprising-sidechains15 and cross barsform-.

entires or haulage ways 18. The return inq' convevorbla'des 16. The plate 13on top of bangsftherefromat each side into the mine livery end passing overadrive sprocket ltl into position to deliver the coalmined above the middleman into the cars in the entry flight of the conveyor is carried own the upturned ends 21 of the lower plate .13'and travels thence along the bottom of the face of the coal seam 6 under the middleman with its delivery end traveling up over the discharge end 22 of the lower plate 1.3 from which the coal isdelivered intomine cars 23 in the entry 17. The conveyor passes thence? around theidler 24 and returns in continuous flight along the upper plat-e13 so that, asshownin Fig. 2, its upper flight moves to thele'ft' abovethe middleman andloadscars.

20 and. its lower flight moves to the right below the middleman and loads cars 23,

The upturned ends '21 and 22 carry side hold-down guides 28 which extend up to and are braced by members 29 to the overhung of the conveyor ends of the upper'plate 13. The bearings, not shown, for the idler 24, pulley 27 and sprocket 19 are supported by the braced ends the-middl overe which consists 1n providmg ammeral face 17 and 18. its d e-- plates 13, and either or both bearings-may be adjusted" to take up slack in the conveyor chain. y r

A motor drives through a suitable gear reduction train, the belt .26 which in turn drives a large pulley 27 which actuates the sprocket 19 to drive the endless conveyor.

As the mining proceeds, the timbering advances,*making approximately equal progress above and below the middleman so as to keep the upper and lower sets of timbers in substantially superposed relationship. As the timbers are thus advanced they have unsupported behind them the roof and middleman and both of these in due course will subside in the manner well understood in mining practice. q

{Though I'have described with great particularity thedetails of the embodiment of theinvention herein shown, it is-not to be construed that 1'. am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution-of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

WhatIfclaim is I .1. The herein described method of mining mineral seams separated'by interposed strata of waste material, which consistsin support ing both the strata and the mine roof adja- 06 cent to the'working faces of the seams soas to hold them in relative positionuntil ready for them to subside together, and conveying the mineral mined abovethe strata .in one direction to the loadingpoint and conveying the mineral. mined belowv the strata in. the opposite direction to a different-loading 2. The herein described method of mining,

toibe worked between substantially parallel haulage ways, supporting a rock parting between seams of the mineral to be mined adjacent to the faces being worked seats to form f a floor for .theupper seam, advancing the 5110 supports for the'parting and mine roof above it tog-ether so that the roof and-parting can subside together behind the workings, and nassmg an. endless conveyor about theparting so as to convey the mined mineral above the parting to the haulage way at one side and the mineral mined below the pa-rtingto the haulage way at the other side.

3. In a mining operation, the combination with superposed sets of timbers having a thick fault or parting in the seam-left interposed between upper and lower sets voftimbers which are adapted to supportboth the fault and the roof above the fault, 'ofan endless conveyor passing aroun'd'the fault and adapted to move parallel with and acent to thejfaces being .workedto-discharge mineral by its upper flight at one side of the fault and by its lower flight to the otherside of the fault, and haulage means at each sideof the fault to receive the mineral conveyed thereto.

in seams having a substantial parting 'therebetween, which consists in working the several mineral seams so as to keep their work ing faces in substantial verticalrelationship with each other, providing along each Work ing face a series of roof supports, moving said supports to follow the advance of the vvorking face While maintaining s'aid r00f V Y s- 5 supports at the several levels in substantial 4. The method of mining mineral lying vertical relationship, disposinga long Wall conveyor close enough toeach Working face toreceive the mineral as mined and moving it to follow the receding Working face,"and permitting the roof or parting'above each series of supports to subside of its own accord as the Work progresses.

1 ERSKINE RAMSAY. 

